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Friday 08/17/07

9:00 PM IFC
An American Werewolf in London (1981 GB): Ah, that's more like it! For anyone in the mood for a genuinely good young adult oriented horror flick, here's one of the best. Directed by John Landis, An American Werewolf in London stars David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as backpackers David and Jack, an unlucky pair of American tourists on a spooky countryside walkabout. Taking a break in a remote English pub, the lads are warned by the grumpy locals to stay on the road whilst avoiding the full moon, but the typically gung ho Yanks ignore the sage advice - only to find themselves savaged by a mysterious and very hairy beast that kills Jack and severely injures David, who then finds himself receiving a terrifying sepulchral visitor at his hospital bedside. Can the love of Nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter) save David from a life of impossibly usurious depilatory bills - or will he soon be laying waste to the comfy environs of Hampstead Heath? Featuring superlative and groundbreaking makeup effects from Rick Baker, An American Werewolf in London deftly mixes horror and comedy, with the bloodshed and grue appropriately taking center stage in the final reels.

11:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Fire Over Africa (1954 GB): It's not terribly good, but spy enthusiasts should probably take a look at this British intriguer, set and shot in the exotic Moroccan city of Tangiers. Maureen O'Hara stars as Joanna Dane, a former OSS agent sent to Tangiers to break up a smuggling ring bringing illegal contraband into Spain and Italy. She meets Van Logan (MacDonald Carey), a government agent posing as a baddie in cahoots with devious Arab trader Mustapha (screen villain Ferdy Mayne), and soon falls for the big galoot, even though they don't know they're both on the same side. Originally released in Britain as Malaga, this is a pretty stodgy affair, but brightened considerably by location footage shot by the estimable Christopher Challis.

Saturday 08/18/07

7:00 PM Cinemax
Pan's Labyrinth (2006 ESP): Little introduction is necessary for Guillermo del Toro's terrific Spanish Civil War fable Pan's Labyrinth, so I won't overburden you with unnecessary plot details. Needless to say, this is one of the most remarkable fantasy films of recent vintage, featuring superb performances by wistful Ivana Baquero as a lonely 12-year-old trying to find her place in an unfriendly world, the great Sergi Lopez as her rotten to the core fascist stepfather, and genre vet Doug Jones (Hellboy's Abe Sapien) as a variety of extremely odd imaginary (?) creatures. Offering far more food for thought than your average run of the mill chiller, Pan's Labyrinth will, nonetheless, be a heavy slog for some, as del Toro is not afraid to lay on plenty of blood when necessary. An almost perfect blend of horror and fine art, Pan's Labyrinth makes its American television premiere this evening, and also airs at 10:00 PM and 8/19 on More Max at 4:00 PM.

Monday 08/20/07

10:00 AM More Max
Daisy Kenyon (1947 USA): If you enjoyed last week's Joan Crawford offering Harriet Craig or her much admired Mildred Pierce, you'll definitely be interested in watching Daisy Kenyon, another of Mommie Dearest's best weepies, this one helmed by beastly Otto Preminger. Daisy is a successful commercial artist carrying on with married man Dan O'Mara (Dana Andrews), who she hopes will divorce wife Lucille in favor of herself. Her dream comes true - but only after Daisy has herself become involved with all-American veteran Peter (Henry Fonda), who desperately wants to make an honest woman of her and settle down. What to do, what to do? One thing's guaranteed - before this film is over, a bucket load of tears will have been shed onscreen, not to mention a few in your own living room. Look for cameos by Walter Winchell, John Garfield, and Damon Runyon as themselves.

8:30 PM Sundance
The Mother's House (2005 USA): For those desiring a gritty documentary, The Mother's House should satisfy your needs. Shot over the course of four years, the film examines the life of Miche, a teenage girl in Cape Town, South Africa, where she lives with her HIV-positive mother, her extremely unhappy grandmother, and her three sisters. Miche wants to live the life of a ‘normal' teen, going out dancing with boys and getting up to the usual adolescent nonsense—but life at home is far from easy, with poverty, AIDS, sexism, and rampant drug abuse never far from the doorstep. A deeply personal film about a very likeable but very vulnerable central character, The Mother's House won the Best Documentary Prize at the 2006 Zimbabwe Film Festival.

11:30 PM Encore Dramatic Stories
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices (2005 USA): Another of director Robert Greenwald's cheery left-wing polemics, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices preaches to the choir, but does it effectively enough. Documenting the negative impact on local businesses when the retailing goliath brings their three-ring circus to town, Greenwald pulls no punches, outlining the rapacious nature of the Walton family business, whose employees are overworked, underpaid, and, of course, lacking in any meaningful benefits whatsoever. Think globally, act locally, and buy from your neighbourhood mom ‘n' pop store!

11:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Mrs. Pollifax, Spy (1971 USA): Based on a popular series of novels by Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax (the character) is a little old lady, bored with her everyday existence, who weasels her way into the espionage business on behalf of the CIA. In this screen adaptation of the first book in the series, our heroine (Rosalind Russell, in her last film) finds herself shipped off to Maoist Albania, where she must outfox the minions of Enver Hoxha, amongst them a comic operative portrayed by Nehemiah Persoff. Does anyone else things it's a little creepy that the only other country besides China to adopt Maoism is now the country that loves George Bush the most? What's up with that? Also featuring Darren McGavin, Mrs. Pollifax, Spy is light Hollywood entertainment at its frothy best.

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